This invention relates generally to the handling of large round hay bales or other objects and to an apparatus attachable to the rear end of a truck for lifting such loads.
A large part of the hay that is baled these days is baled in large cylindrical bales which can weigh up to several thousands of pounds. These large size hay bales have led to a need for equipment capable of properly handling such bales. Several mechanisms have been developed to handle these large bales. A lot of them have been used with trucks to carry large bales and most of those have added equpment and accessories in the truck bed that then is not fully available for handling or normal loads. U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,768 is directed to an improved hay handling device which functions both as a rear truck bumper and as a bale carrier and includes a rear truck bumper which is formed by two stationary end sesctions and a pivotal center section. Here the whole middle section of the bumper pivots which may tend to weaken the bumper.